Why was the redoubtable King Henry, an aborigine from Western Australia, killed during a thunderstorm in New South Wales? What was the feud that led to murder after nineteen long years had passed? And who was the woman who saw the murder and kept silent? This first story of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, the half-aborigine detective, takes him to a sheep station in the Darling River bush country where he encounters those problems he understands so well... mixed blood and divided loyalties.

5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting word pictures

By
Helen V
on
29-01-2015

The Great Melbourne Cup Mystery

By:
Arthur Upfield

Narrated by:
Stig Wemyss

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Melbourne during the Depression. A seedy, corrupt city. Someone has struck at the heart of Australia's soul: they have killed the horse that would have won the Melbourne Cup. For what motive? Profit, blackmail, a betting scam? Only Tom Pink, the rider of the murdered horse can find out.

5 out of 5 stars

Super Narator

By
Jennifer2
on
11-10-2015

Ladies in Black

By:
Madeleine St John

Narrated by:
Deidre Rubenstein

Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
56

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
53

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
53

At the very end of the Ladies’ Frocks Departments, past Cocktail Frocks, there was something very special, something quite, quite wonderful; but it wasn’t for everybody: that was the point. Because there, at the very end, there was a lovely arch, on which was written in curly letters Model Gowns. Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, Ladies in Black is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives. The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow.

4 out of 5 stars

kept me listening

By
Julie
on
30-11-2018

The Diggers Rest Hotel

Charlie Berlin, Book 1

By:
Geoffrey McGeachin

Narrated by:
Peter Byrne

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

In 1947, two years after witnessing the death of a young Jewish woman in Poland, Charlie Berlin has rejoined the police force a different man. Sent to investigate a spate of robberies in rural Victoria, he soon discovers that World War II has changed even the most ordinary of places and people.

5 out of 5 stars

Most enjoyable

By
jpatrickp
on
04-04-2015

You Wouldn't Be Dead for Quids

By:
Robert G. Barrett

Narrated by:
Dino Marnika

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
92

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
85

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
86

Les Norton, a big red-headed country boy from Queensland, has just arrived in the big smoke and is set to make his mark. Working as a bouncer at an illegal casino in the Cross, Les encounters a number of fascinating characters who make up the seamier side of one of the most exciting cities in the world – gamblers, conmen, bookies, bouncers, hookers and hit men, who ply their respective trades from the golden sands of Bondi to the tainted gutters of Kings Cross... usually on the wrong side of the law.

5 out of 5 stars

great story

By
Anonymous User
on
21-06-2017

Sensitive New Age Spy

By:
Geoff McGeachin

Narrated by:
Peter Hosking

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

All Alby wants is a decent coffee and a day off. But there's a hijacked tanker with a deadly cargo in Sydney Harbor, and bullets are flying on board a U.S. Navy cruiser. Three sailors are dead and a Seahawk chopper is missing.

The Barrakee Mystery

An Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte Mystery, Book 1

By:
Arthur W. Upfield

Narrated by:
Peter Hosking

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
19

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

Why was the redoubtable King Henry, an aborigine from Western Australia, killed during a thunderstorm in New South Wales? What was the feud that led to murder after nineteen long years had passed? And who was the woman who saw the murder and kept silent? This first story of Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, the half-aborigine detective, takes him to a sheep station in the Darling River bush country where he encounters those problems he understands so well... mixed blood and divided loyalties.

5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting word pictures

By
Helen V
on
29-01-2015

The Great Melbourne Cup Mystery

By:
Arthur Upfield

Narrated by:
Stig Wemyss

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Melbourne during the Depression. A seedy, corrupt city. Someone has struck at the heart of Australia's soul: they have killed the horse that would have won the Melbourne Cup. For what motive? Profit, blackmail, a betting scam? Only Tom Pink, the rider of the murdered horse can find out.

5 out of 5 stars

Super Narator

By
Jennifer2
on
11-10-2015

Ladies in Black

By:
Madeleine St John

Narrated by:
Deidre Rubenstein

Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
56

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
53

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
53

At the very end of the Ladies’ Frocks Departments, past Cocktail Frocks, there was something very special, something quite, quite wonderful; but it wasn’t for everybody: that was the point. Because there, at the very end, there was a lovely arch, on which was written in curly letters Model Gowns. Written by a superb novelist of contemporary manners, Ladies in Black is a fairytale which illuminates the extraordinariness of ordinary lives. The women in black are run off their feet, what with the Christmas rush and the summer sales that follow.

4 out of 5 stars

kept me listening

By
Julie
on
30-11-2018

The Diggers Rest Hotel

Charlie Berlin, Book 1

By:
Geoffrey McGeachin

Narrated by:
Peter Byrne

Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
38

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
34

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

In 1947, two years after witnessing the death of a young Jewish woman in Poland, Charlie Berlin has rejoined the police force a different man. Sent to investigate a spate of robberies in rural Victoria, he soon discovers that World War II has changed even the most ordinary of places and people.

5 out of 5 stars

Most enjoyable

By
jpatrickp
on
04-04-2015

You Wouldn't Be Dead for Quids

By:
Robert G. Barrett

Narrated by:
Dino Marnika

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
92

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
85

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
86

Les Norton, a big red-headed country boy from Queensland, has just arrived in the big smoke and is set to make his mark. Working as a bouncer at an illegal casino in the Cross, Les encounters a number of fascinating characters who make up the seamier side of one of the most exciting cities in the world – gamblers, conmen, bookies, bouncers, hookers and hit men, who ply their respective trades from the golden sands of Bondi to the tainted gutters of Kings Cross... usually on the wrong side of the law.

5 out of 5 stars

great story

By
Anonymous User
on
21-06-2017

Sensitive New Age Spy

By:
Geoff McGeachin

Narrated by:
Peter Hosking

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

All Alby wants is a decent coffee and a day off. But there's a hijacked tanker with a deadly cargo in Sydney Harbor, and bullets are flying on board a U.S. Navy cruiser. Three sailors are dead and a Seahawk chopper is missing.

Publisher's Summary

Broome is a small, sun-drenched town on the barren northwest coast of Australia. It's small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business. How, then, did someone murder two widows in similar fashion and not leave any clues?

It's a case for Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, who arrives on the scene incognito. He's barely begun his investigation when a third woman is killed. Bony realises that he is dealing with a madman, and that time is running out to stop a forth murder.

Practice before recording.

The Upfield stories need no embellishment, nor do they need incorrect pronunciations. It is not hard to ask someone if you are not sure how to pronounce a particular word, name or place. Please, more care.

Sort by:

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Mary Corbet

26-11-2013

Love Arthur Upfield!!

Arthur Upfield's books as read by Peter Hosking are always delightful. They keep me listening to the very end, with never a dull moment. Upfield's descriptive talent is unbelievable - his Australia is so vivid. He's witty and charming, just like his main character, Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. Upfield is a master of character development, at least with the primary characters in each story. Besides Bonaparte, there's always at least one character that is sketched in high relief, and the reader always gets a good feel for even the minor characters.

But Peter Hosking - he MAKES the audiobooks. What a talented narrator and what a pleasure it is to listen to him!

Widows of Broome is not my favorite Upfield book - there are others that are more captivating, descriptive, involved - but it's still quite good and worth every minute.

Would love to see more of Arthur Upfield's books read by Peter Hosking available on Audible!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Overall

5 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

5 out of 5 stars

katydid

26-12-2018

I’m addicted to these!

I can’t stop listening to them! This one was particularly good, with a clever plot and some —especially one—very well-drawn female character. And while he does portray Aborigines as someone childlike, he is also sympathetic, and laments the loss of their culture, which he states was destroyed by stupid white men. And Peter Hosking was superb as usual.

Sort by:

Overall

4 out of 5 stars

Performance

5 out of 5 stars

Story

4 out of 5 stars

Nile_Etland

17-06-2018

A good yarn

The serious downside to novels of this era is the casual racism which seriously jarrs. The basic story is also improbable - I struggled to suspend disbelief - but Inspector Bonaparte is a sympathetic character which makes it quite enjoyable.